Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic has made the bold claim that the club look more balanced since selling Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer transfer window.
The Brazil international sent shock-waves through world football when he swapped the Nou Camp for the Parc des Princes, but Barca have so far fared perfectly well without him in their side.
Rakitic admits that he would welcome Neymar back to Barcelona, but he also sees some advantages of not having him involved due to the way the balance of the team has improved this season.
‘If I had a magic wand and could have him (Neymar) by my side, I would,’ Rakitic told Mundo Deportivo.
Still, he added: ‘Before with Ney we had more imbalance and ‘show’ in the three or four years that he was here, maybe we need a little bit of that, which was what Ney gave for himself.
Neymar joined PSG from Barcelona this summer.
‘With the change of system everything changes a little. We have won in balance, in going together, either forward or backward, and what we have to do is improve and finish the matches with ease.
‘We’ve talked a lot about Ney, but he’s gone and we’re doing very well.’
Ivan Rakitic has suggested Barcelona don’t miss Neymar since his move to PSG
Barcelona are not exactly used to losing their best players, with the Catalan giants well established as one of Europe’s biggest superpowers.
Still, they have shown their strength by rebuilding under new manager Ernesto Valverde this season, and with some new signings in key areas.
Paulinho and Ousmane Dembele were the biggest names to join this summer, and while the latter has struggled with injury, the former has certainly surpassed initial expectations.